Watch: This man taught his pet dog to bark in a whisper, and solved a major problem

No, the volume isn’t turned down low.

The resident director of a college dorm in Southern Illinois has figured out a unique solution to fellow residents being disturbed by his dog barking excitedly at night. His pet can now bark in a whisper (video above).

Brian Gertler, 24, lives in Greenville University with his wife and two dogs. Their one-year-old dog Dudley is rather fond of playing fetch but the accompanied barking would keep students in the dorm up at night.

After an energetic fetch session one day, Gertler noticed that his pet was so tired, his barking had grown quieter. He figured out that he could train his little friend to bark in a whisper and solve a major problem.

While his dorm doesn’t let students keep pets, he gets a free pass as the dorm director. The dogs are said to help new students settle in, and soothe their nerves as they get used to living away from home.

“It’s a good icebreaker for a lot of these students,” Gertler said. “Sometimes they feel more comfortable talking to the dogs than talking to me.”